Flaring Spirits
by Elements of the Psyche
Summary: They were best of friends in childhood, and now they clash on opposing sides. Memories of the past haunt him, as he fights her, not willing to kill her. One-shot.


Flaring Spirits

Disclaimationer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, or for that matter, anything affiliated with Final Fantasy VIII. Square-Enix owns everything affiliated with the Final Fantasy series. However, I own the plot of this story, the unique character traits of the characters in this story, any original characters, etc. If this story bears any relation to any other stories or subjects that are not mentioned in this disclaimer, it is completely unintentional and accidental unless mentioned otherwise in the story. Characters in this fiction are purely fictional, and have not been influenced by any non-fictional character, be they living or dead.

Chrysa: Edited as of 2/14/05. Stupid Eot and his stupid...

Genre: Drama/Angst

Rating: Tell me in your review.

OTHER Rating: PG for constant violence, dramatic scenes, and sadness.

Pairings: Well, no real ones, but I suppose you could interpret out some. I'm not liable for any pairings that you interpret out.

Length: One-shot

Background Music: Premonition/Fragments of Memories

Mood: Neutral changing to bittersweet

Summary: They were best of friends in childhood, and now they clash on opposing sides. Memories of the past haunt him, as he fights her, not willing to kill her.

Dearest apologies to everybody who THOUGHT I'd update with Macaroni or Matchmaker. Well, YOU THOUGHT WRONG! MWA HA MWA HA HA!

I'll get to it some time or other.

-

Eden returned, injured, after going all out at the enemy at hand. We were safe here, at least, as safe as we could be.

We are partners to battle with whoever summons us, although usually we return early to our realm, as not to drain the summoner's energy.

There was a heated battle outside. There must have been, if Eden had suffered so many injuries. She was somewhat shaken, and Eden was the strongest of all of us.

I remembered a time when that may not have been true.

I did not know Eden until I took residence in the Deep Sea Research Center. Eden was the spirit that was forever trapped in a failed project: Ultima Weapon.

Ultima Weapon rebelled against its creators, and almost sunk the entire island. It was Eden that kept it up.

I learned about Eden's powers, then, and knew that I would stand no chance against her, if ever we two were to battle.

But I used to know one who was possibly more powerful than Eden.

I slowly flew over to her. She was resting, recuperating from her injuries.

"Is it that bad?" I asked.

"The enemy is powerful, probably more so than Squall can handle, even with his friends." Her voice was weak. She may not have been summoned quickly enough.

The battle raged on outside. I could not see the fight, but I knew that it was still going on. It annoyed me that I would be left in the dark about it.

I felt a slight tugging at my heart. Squall was dying. If Squall died, there would be fewer forces to deal with this enemy, fewer forces to deal with Ultimecia.

Normally, a Phoenix Down would be all that would be required, but not at this critical moment. With a burst of energy, I did something no GF had ever done before.

I summoned myself.

-

My senses were immediately sharpened as I became one with Squall. I could see the destruction through a faint tinge of red. I could hear short breaths and inhuman roars. I licked my lips and tasted blood.

I looked to my sides. Irvine was using his gun to support himself, hat covering his eyes. Rinoa stood, clearly injured, but with a blank look in her face. White wings were connected to her back, covered with blood. Even with that empty look on her face, I knew she was fatally wounded.

I braced myself, just in time, as a destructive blast came my way. I suffered injuries, but minor ones. Gunblade in hand, I readied myself, and I rose from deep within Squall, shooting into the sky, and solidifying into a blue dragon, red wings outspread. That was when I saw my enemy, the shooter of the blast.

It was a large dragon, about my size, blue with a slight tinge of red at the front. Blue wings outspread, it looked just like me.

Memories flashed back to me. I remembered, but vaguely, this monster and its past as well. Then, like a flood, everything came back.

-

Random bursts of fire shot from the little blue dragon's mouth, missing every target, and accidentally setting a tree on fire.

The dragon next to him laughed, a melodic laugh that cheered up his spirit.

"Relax, you'll get it."

The latter was only slightly bigger than the first, red instead of blue, and with blue wings. The blue dragon pouted somewhat, "It's not fair! Why are you so strong, and I so weak?"

The red dragon put a claw on the blue's head, "You're not weak. Someday, you'll grow up to be a great dragon."

-

How was I to know that our paths were to split, that I would be forever banished into the Deep Sea Research Center?

-

The blue dragon, now slightly older and bigger, flew off into the air, and glanced back to his companion.

The red fought valiantly against the onslaught of strange monsters descended from the moon. The land was almost barren from the destruction raging among the monsters.

"Hurry, Bahamut, go! I can keep these monsters at bay while you escape!"

"But, Tiamat..."

"GO!"

Bahamut flew off into the distance, and looked back to see Tiamat fire a desperate last attack against the monsters, an attack that Tiamat liked to call the Mega Flare.

Bahamut watched, helpless, as enemies that swooped down from above took down Tiamat. A bright flash blazed through the skies, followed by an explosion that knocked Bahamut far away.

Injured and tired, Bahamut could fly no longer, and crash-landed on a remote island, later known as Battleship Island.

-

My mind went numb as Tiamat began charging up an attack. There was something wrong here. My first thought was that this was not the same Tiamat that I knew in my childhood, but this thought was quickly extinguished. It was the same Tiamat down to the very last detail, except for the color change. I didn't understand. Tiamat would never use the Mega Flare against me. Never.

Tiamat flew higher and higher, preparing the assault. Squall stared up at me, stricken with his wounds, and silently urged me to attack and return before I got as injured as Eden did.

I couldn't return, not when there was still unfinished business left.

For years, I tried in the Deep Sea Research Center to perfect the attack Tiamat adored. People think of the Mega Flare as my specialty, but in truth, it does not match up to Tiamat's. It cannot.

But there was something wrong. Tiamat was not reaching her full potential. I thought there was something wrong, possibly in the recovery process she went through to stay alive, but I soon realized it was something else.

Tiamat didn't want to hurt me.

She had no control over what she did, and had to (for some reason or other) attempt to destroy all intruders. However, when she saw me, there must have been some sort of instinct or memory that remained.

So that was why her attacks seemed weaker, why she took so long to charge up. It was because she was afraid, not of me, but of hurting me.

I barely evaded another Mega Flare. That was when I realized there was something wrong with the Mega Flare as well. It was...dark, evil almost. There was an energy pulsing from within the blast. I recognized it as it being similar to the energy that was once pulsing through Rinoa.

Ultimecia had Tiamat under her control.

I had to kill Tiamat, to let Squall and the others advance. I knew I could easily destroy a monster, but could I destroy a friend?

Time was running short, and I had only one choice. I had to kill her, or too many others would die as well.

I felt energy gathering at my mouth. It was almost as if I was doing this from instinct, instead of from conscious thought.

I let out a barrage of blasts that shook the foundations of the castle. Protected by Ultimecia's magic, it barely mattered.

I gathered up a flame deep within my mind, and channeled it through the various parts of my body until I could execute the final step. With renewed energy, I collected energy into my mouth, and prepared to fire.

I found that I couldn't.

I didn't know what possessed me at that point in time, but I found it impossible to fire. With despondency in my heart, I let the energy of the blast be absorbed into my body again.

Irvine looked like I had just gone crazy; maybe I had. Rinoa had the same vacant look on her face. Squall looked at me, with confusion painted in every area of his face, and Tiamat...

For an instant, I saw Tiamat shake her head slightly, like she used to before we parted ways.

-

Bahamut flew up and began blasting into the sky several blue orbs of energy. Tiamat looked on with approval. Bahamut finally gathered up enough energy, just as Tiamat taught him to, into his mind, and prepared to channel it.

It was about this time when the blasts came rocketing back towards the ground, and, more specifically, Bahamut.

Bahamut emerged from the explosions, charred almost black, but still standing.

Tiamat's look of concern faded, as she closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, smiling.

-

There was no smile this time, but it was the same. It was another memory brought back from the depths of her mind.

A voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

"You were foolish, not to have fired that blast. You will die now, dragon."

It was the same voice, but it did not have that cheerful tone to it. It was cold and merciless, the voice she would use against enemies who were threatening either of us.

I always felt safe from behind that voice, since usually the enemies would cower, or at least flinch.

Did Ultimecia know this? Did she know that I used to hide behind this voice, and that I would cower as so many had before? If the situation were not so dire, I would have laughed at the irony.

Tiamat flew high into the sky, and prepared to launch another attack. The attack was coming fast this time. Ultimecia had regained control.

I dodged the attack, if barely, and felt the heat of it against my wings. Stunned from the force of the attack, I did not expect another coming so soon. It was a ruthless barrage, just like mine, but stronger, faster, and would finish with what mine didn't.

I dodged four or five before one hit me on the left wing, knocking me off balance. The others all hit me on the chest. She had precise aim. If Ultimecia gained control of Tiamat's abilities, I would be dead fast.

Squall was still staring at me, possibly hoping that I would finish what I started, and possibly hoping that I would soon return to the GF realm.

I knew that neither would happen very soon. I could return whenever I wanted to, but I was the only thing stopping Tiamat from unleashing her total wrath against Squall and the others.

Tiamat charged up with enough energy to destroy me, and prepared to fire. A shower of meteors unexpectedly hammered against her back, sending her crashing into the ground.

Hands outstretched, Rinoa continued with the spell as Cerberus was cast early on. Tiamat roared in agony as she lay, trapped in the continuous avalanche of meteors.

I heard a shout from below me, "Bahamut! Finish it now! Finish your Mega Flare!" It was Rinoa, unexpectedly, as the wings were absorbed back into her body and she fell unconscious. Her body lay as a crumpled heap on the ground.

Torn between decisions, I finally decided that I must finish the job. Every particle of energy from the previously charged flame went into my attack. I closed my eyes as I unleashed it.

An enormous explosion rocked the castle as Tiamat shrieked. She was still alive, however. Like so many times before, I missed the target.

The explosion harmed her, injured her, but that was no good. The meteors stopped. Squall called for me to come back.

Not yet.

Tiamat slowly rose back into the sky. I prepared myself, gathered up energy again, but she did not attack me.

Then, something odd happened. The dark blue skin that Tiamat now wore slowly turned to red, Tiamat's old color. And slowly, she did something that I would never have expected her to do. She did something I never thought I'd see again. She smiled.

It was a grim smile, a bittersweet one, but a pure smile nonetheless. Her voice was no longer cold, but it was soft. She was injured badly.

"Bahamut," she called to me, "it has been a while since we last met. You have truly grown. Your Mega Flare is...formidable, but I see your aiming still needs work."

She laughed a little, as the two of us hovered in midair. Her eyes glittered with...tears? The others were staring up with amazement.

"Ultimecia will soon regain control of my body," she whispered. "I want you to remember that when she does, I am no longer your friend. I will be your sworn enemy, Bahamut. I want you to destroy me when that happens. Do not be afraid of harming me. I will do my best to restrain myself, but you must use everything that you have in your body to destroy me.

"It was long ago when I was fatally injured from fighting those monsters, Elnoyles, I believe they were called. In recuperating, somebody came along and saw me, offered to help me. She was a sorceress.

"I did not know that she would do this to me. I did not know her true intentions. I may be alive, but I am...serving an unjust cause. Destroy me, Bahamut. You must destroy...me. Find courage...within...yourself."

She was struggling to keep control of herself. She looked at me sadly, before the smile vanished into a snarl, and the tear-filled eyes returned to hardened ones, cold as ice. The red faded black into dark blue, fitting for her changed nature. She screamed, "I have let this go too far! I will allow you to survive, Bahamut, if you quietly return to where you belong!"

I glared at her. It was past time to end this once and for all. I charged up the remains of my strength and fired a relentless barrage at her.

Tiamat shouted, "Fool! Do you honestly think you stand a chance against me?"

She countered my attack with her own, but the energy in hers was much weaker. Tiamat was keeping to her word.

Tiamat shrieked again, "Cursed Tiamat! Why are you holding me back? You can't possibly make much of a difference. They'll all die! Kurse all SeeD's!"

As the two of us gathered the energy required for the last attack, I suddenly thought about what would happen if I destroyed her. I would never see Tiamat again. I would never see the one who had helped me through so many obstacles years ago.

Tiamat's eyes seemed to be mocking me, as if she knew the predicament and indecisiveness that was going through my head. Those eyes that used to be compassionate and caring...

For a fleeting moment, I struggled with the decision of whether to fire or not. It was then when I saw a glimmer of the old Tiamat's eyes in the possessed one's.

I remembered Tiamat's final words to me: "Find courage within yourself."

I shouted out, "Ultimecia! Tiamat may be more powerful than I ever was, but I have grown stronger! With Tiamat's help, I can banish you from within her."

Tiamat only roared back. As I finished gathering the energy I needed, I bellowed, "You were a fool to attempt to harness Tiamat's power, Ultimecia! Don't think that I will hold back this time, for I am not afraid of obliterating Tiamat, if it means the end of your reign!"

With a roar, we both let out the blasts.

A great flash engulfed the entire area, as we struggled to gain the upper hand in the duel of flares. Tiamat was growing stronger with every moment, and I was running out of energy. With Rinoa unconscious, Squall on the brink of death, and Irvine too tired to stand, it all depended on me. The situation seemed bleak.

Hopelessness reigned in my heart when I saw the blast nearing me. In a final desperate attempt to escape, I tried to fly upwards, but to no avail. The great blast surrounded me, as I fell, smoking, to the ground.

With a resounding _thud_, I crashed onto the ground, and lay helpless as Tiamat charged up another attack.

Just then, Squall rushed up to Tiamat, and using whatever energy he could find, executed a relentless storm of slashes with his gunblade. I noticed Irvine with the item bag. He had used an Elixir and an Aura Stone.

Squall continued his barrage as Irvine used a Phoenix Down on Rinoa, who in turn cast Curaga on the both of them.

I struggled to stand as I saw Squall finish it off with a great slash through the diagonal length of Tiamat's body.

Tiamat's body burst into flame as she plummeted downwards. While Rinoa and Irvine were congratulating Squall, I could hear Tiamat's voice, "I...apologize, Bahamut. I...failed...you."

Tears that were stored in her eyes now dripped down to the ground as she closed her eyes forever. She lay perfectly still. Darkness surrounded me as I was pulled back into the GF realm.

Epilogue

Long ago, when we two first split paths, I would have cried. With training and endurance, I have trained myself not to, and put on a calm and cold demeanor in times of sadness. I scolded myself for that, for not being able to cry for her.

I remembered back to when Tiamat would tell me stories of ancient heroes who banished evil and lived happily with princesses. There was always an evil villain who was either a sorcerer or a dragon. Until Tiamat and I separated, I always thought there was some truth to these stories, but that sometimes a dragon would be a hero and slay an evil sorcerer. She would always joke that someday, I'd be the hero.

I did not want Tiamat to be the villain, even if I was the hero. In the end, it didn't matter who was on the good side and who was on the bad side. All that mattered was that we were on opposite sides, and that was about as far as it could get from Tiamat's stories.

The End.

Chrysa: Hope you enjoyed the edited version WITHOUT commentary. I swear I'm going to kill that kid... I decided the happy ending wasn't all too great, and so I deleted it. I think it's actually an improvement, having a fixed ending instead of some Pick Your Ending type story.


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